1.Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to holders for open top receptables, and more particularly to a hollow invertible holder for accomodating various size and shaped beverage containers or the like.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Persons frequently drink beverages when driving vehicles. Common containers for beverages come in a wide range of sizes and shapes, such as cardboard or styrofoam cups, insulated containers, and cups or containers having various handle configurations. Various holders have been designed to fit inside the vehicle, such as on the console, the center hump, on the dash, or on the door panel, and have a receptacle to hold the beverage container. Some vehicles have a console having one or more receptacles to hold a beverage container. Prior art holders for beverage containers usually have one or more receptacles of one diameter which will accept only certain size beverage containers and/or containers which have no handles.
A problem exists when the holder receptacle is not the proper size or shape for the beverage container being used at the time. There are several patents which disclose various coasters and holders.
Kelley, U.S. Pat. No. 164,692 discloses a design for a bottle holder which is received on the door side panel of vehicles and has a single receptacle.
Wilson, U.S. Pat. No. 261,592 discloses a design for a coaster holder for a beverage container.
Rasler, U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,669 discloses an invertible carrier for tools, painter's supplies, and the like having two tray-like receptacles of different depths having a common planar bottom.
St. Cyr, U.S. Pat. No. 3,028,702 discloses a non-tipping drinking class coaster which has a weighted bottom and a single receptacle for beverage glasses.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by a multisided invertible holder for containers which comprises a hollow receptacle with a plurality of pairs of flat sides. A preferred embodiment is a hollow cube configuration having six flat sides. Four sides have holes through side walls; one side has a slot extending the length of the side wall; and another side has a hole through the side wall and a slot extending radially outward from the hole, and another side has a solid side wall. In use, the holder sits on a generally level surface and may be inverted such that any one of the side walls is on the top side to slidably receive a container while the opposed bottom flat surface provides a stable supporting base. The invertible holder provides sufficient stability to prevent tipping or spilling the contents of the container. The plurality of apertured sides allow the holder to accomodate various sizes and shapes of containers including cylindrical, tapered, or square containers, or containers having handles.